China Vows Strong Support for Ethiopia’s Modernization Journey

Addis Ababa: Vice Minister of Education of China, Wu Yan stated that China is committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation with Ethiopia in education and other sectors to a higher level. A panel discussion was held last evening in Addis Ababa under the title 'New Opportunities for China-Ethiopia Cooperation in the Joint Pursuit of Modernization.' The panelists were Chinese Vice Minister of Education, Wu Yan, Prosperity Party Public and International Relation Deputy Head, Tesfahun Gobezay and Training Director General at the Institute of Foreign Affairs, Melaku Mulualem. On the occasion, Vice Minister Wu Yan said that Ethiopia and China have achieved remarkable bilateral cooperation over the last five decades of formal relation in politics, economy, culture, people to people ties, trade exchanges, among other areas of cooperation between the two countries. Ethiopia and China are time tested friends and partners, he noted, reaffirming that the two countries will continue strengthening their cooperation into higher level through the joint pursuit of modernization. Expressing appreciation for Ethiopia's autonomous socio-economic development efforts under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the vice minister emphasized China's strong support for Ethiopia's modernization journey. He highlighted the importance of sharing new opportunities for development and expanding market access for Ethiopian products in the vast Chinese market. Moreover; his ministry will work to enhance cooperation in education sector of higher education, technical and vocational trainings as well as in labor and skill development. China will also support Ethiopia in science and technology, digitalization, green economy and building conducive environment for innovations, he underscored. Tesfahun Gobezay, Deputy Head of Public and International Relations for the Prosperity Party, emphasized that the relationship between Ethiopia and China dates back thousands of years in terms of trade and cultural exchange, despite formal diplomatic relations b eing established only 54 years ago. Noting the strong government-to-government and party-to-party relationship between the two countries, Tesfahun stated that China is currently Ethiopia's primary source of imports, foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign labor, and scholarship opportunities. Tesfahun stated that Prosperity Party will take lessons from strengths of Chinese CPC party, noting the two parties share common characteristics that both have pragmatic nature, generating and imparting ideas, and large members among others He reaffirmed his party's commitment to further cement the existing diplomatic relationships for the betterment of peoples of the two countries and shared future. Head of Training Directorate at Institute of Foreign Affairs, Melaku Mulualem on his part highlighted the importance of Chinese path to modernization as it is exemplary to Ethiopia, other least developing countries and the global south at large. He underscored that it is good to design modernization initiative to the g lobal south to promote and expand modernization's basic principles, skills and knowledge to the developing countries like Ethiopia. In this regard, the global development initiative, global security initiative, and global security initiatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping are proper channels to expand modernization of China to Ethiopia and other countries of the world at large, Melaku pointed out. Source: Ethiopian News Agency